Things to keep an eye on: Eastern Washington receiver Efton Chism continues to play for the Eagles. Can he be the deciding factor in a duel with Vandals?

Almost exactly two years ago, the Eastern Washington football team posted a 2-5 record at the end of October.

At this point in 2022, Eastern had lost one game (at Oregon) 70-14 and another (at Florida) 52-17. The Eagles were also beaten at Weber State 45-21 and twice at home: once soundly against Sacramento State (52-28) and once heartbreakingly against Montana State (38-35). Their victories came over Tennessee State (36-29) and Cal Poly (17-10).

EWU head coach Aaron Best used this year's team as a reference point during his media presentation on Tuesday, pointing out that in 2022 the team's lack of physical activity was the team's undoing.

“The call was good. “The technology was good enough,” he said of this year’s team. “The physicality wasn’t close enough.”

This year's team is once again 2-5 overall (1-2 in the Big Sky), but the path to get to this point has been different. Aside from a 49-16 loss at Nevada, the other four losses came in competitive games by a total of 21 points. Best doesn't see physical play as a problem right now as the Eagles prepare to play the 11th-ranked Idaho Vandals (5-3, 2-2) at the Kibbie Dome on Saturday at 6 p.m.

“Now it’s a little different,” Best said. “It’s not a physical element. It's not a talent gap. It's about trusting yourself in the bigger moments to get the job done. We’re starting to get a few more to realize this, but a few more aren’t good enough.”

Eastern's 48-16 loss two years ago at the Kibbie Dome – in which Hayden Hatten caught four touchdown passes – was all but decided at halftime when the Vandals led 35-10. But in last year's game in Cheney, the Eagles had a 28-21 lead in the third quarter before the Vandals took control late and cruised to a 44-36 win.

Here are three aspects of Saturday's game to pay attention to if the Eagles want to get back on the winning list:

1. Who will take control in the first quarter? Eastern had just two first downs in the first quarter of last week's 48-38 loss to UC Davis. It's fair to wonder how this game would have gone if the Eagles had done more in the first 15 minutes than take a 3-0 lead against the Aggies.

The only time Eastern scored more than seven points in the opening quarter was in the opening 42-27 win over Monmouth, when it scored touchdowns on each of its first two drives (and six of its first seven drives).

The Eagles simply haven't had such a fast start since then.

Idaho's best quarter this year was the first, when the Vandals scored 54 of their 155 total points. But in the last two first halves – a 38-7 loss at Montana State and a 34-29 home win over Cal Poly – the Vandals have scored just six first-half points.

2. Does Idaho have an answer to Efton Chism III? Even without other proven options at wide receiver, EWU senior Efton Chism III just keeps chugging along. Last week he posted a career-high 15 receptions for 170 yards and has made no fewer than seven catches in a game this year.

Idaho's defense was more vulnerable to the pass than the run, ranking eighth (246.4 yards per game) and third (124.6), respectively, among Big Sky teams. The Vandals gave up 280 passing yards and three receiving touchdowns to the Mustangs last week, including eight catches, 102 yards and two scores from Giancarlo Woods.

But it's also possible that the Eagles return to the power run game that has worked so well for them at times this year. Montana State overwhelmed the Vandals with 360 rushing yards two weeks ago, and they totaled 265 and 286 yards in the Eagles' two wins.

3. Will Michael Wortham shine this week? No one in the FCS has returned more kickoffs this season than Michael Wortham (25), and no one has more kickoff return yards (688). That's good for the ninth-best return average nationally (27.5), a stat that's all the more impressive considering Wortham has yet to rush for a touchdown (he came close against Davis, scoring a touchdown with one). Season high of 79 yards).

Wortham continued to be involved in the offense, but his influence shifted from taking handoffs to catching catches. He hasn't had a carry in the last three games, and while he has 10 receptions in that span, he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 2 against Drake. That was also his last pass attempt.

In a crucial game against a rival, Saturday's contest at the Kibbie Dome would be a good time for Wortham to find the end zone again.